Malaysian boat capsize toll up to 12

Malaysian boat capsize toll up to 12

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): The death toll from a weekend boat accident
off Malaysia's western coast rose to 12 on Wednesday, with
rescuers still searching for three more bodies, a news report
said.

Police said they discovered the body of Norhisham Hashim, 20,
about five kilometers away from the resort island of Pulau Besar
off the southwestern state of Malacca, the national news agency
Bernama reported.

Eighteen others on board swam to safety or were rescued after
strong waves flipped the overcrowded boat at around midnight on
Sunday. It was carrying mostly workers from a resort on Pulau
Besar island.

Officials have suspended the license of the boat's owner after
discovering 33 people had been crammed into the tourist vessel,
which had a capacity of 12. Police were still looking for three
people, Haslinda Abdullah, Zaiful Azhar Mohamed and Hafizah
Mohamed Dom.